


Stay For A Bit

by BeyoncesThighGap



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Volume 5, Romance, apparently ilia isnt a character on ao3 yet, her and sun wont be going anywhere any time soon, i decided to just keep it to the core four, ok listen so i changed up the characters, so if she ever pops up ill add her in, starts right at the end of the finale, volume 5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-03-11 09:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyoncesThighGap/pseuds/BeyoncesThighGap
Summary: Haven is safe, and so are the young huntresses and hunters of Beacon Academy. Friends reunite, questions are raised, and relationships are formed. How will Yang deal with explaining her feelings about Blake's abandonment without ruining their tentative friendship? Since when are Ruby and Weiss so close? And why doesn't Blake recognize this child that has suddenly found his way into Ruby's band of misfits?





	1. Haven's Fate

“Well, we’re all glad you’re still here, firecracker.”

Ruby exhaled in relief at the words as she felt her legs begin to shake from exhaustion. They were fine. Her team was fine and finally all back under one roof, albeit tired and a little worse for wear. No longer able to support her own weight, she let herself fall gracelessly to the floor with a pained groan.

“A-Are you okay?!”

Cool hands accompanied by the scent of sweat, old blood, and an underlying hint of something so undeniably Weiss filled Ruby’s nose as she was caught and propped against her partner’s side. Ruby weakly lifted her head and let her eyes drift lazily over her companion’s features.   
After deciding that she was mostly unharmed, Ruby nodded slightly before letting her head roll to the side in order to address her other teammates.

“I feel like I should be asking you guys.” 

The sound of elevated heels clacking against the floor caused Ruby to raise her head and watch as her long lost teammate approached her. Blake’s hesitant approach stuttered to a stop as Yang’s quick footfalls caused her to reach Ruby and Weiss first. She collapsed next to her leader and the team’s resident Atlesian before placing her gauntleted hand onto Ruby’s arm as a form of comfort. Ruby relaxed into her older sister’s touch, which always seemed to radiate warmth due to her semblance, and resisted the childish urge to curl up in her arms and sob from sheer exhaustion.

In an effort to shake the attention off of herself and address the goliath in the room, Ruby awkwardly tried to bring her friend into the conversation. “So Blake, heh… what’re you doing here?” Cerulean and lilac gazes turned from their leader to their missing teammate, one in curiosity and the other an unreadable mask. 

Blake’s ears flattened slightly atop her head in a sign of discomfort as she fidgeted. In an effort to calm herself, she crossed an arm over her abdomen and grabbed it before shrugging helplessly. “I-I was gonna ask you three the same thing.” A bashful smile was added on to the end, but Ruby could see right through it. The faunus was nervous and afraid. Afraid of her, afraid of Weiss, and especially afraid of Yang and how they would react to her sudden reappearance.

Ruby glanced to the right and at her partner, waiting for her gaze to be met. After a mere second, Weiss directed her full attention towards the exhausted leader. Even after over a year apart, they could still converse with only a glance and the briefest of touches. Ruby felt the miniscule tightening of Weiss’s grip on her arm and had all the answers she needed. They’d forgiven their friend for her transgressions. They missed her and her dry humor too much to be angry for very long, and knew Yang was the true reason for Blake’s antsiness. Nearly in sync they turned to the brawler to gauge her reaction. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Yang’s impassive mask was still in place.

“That’s… a LONG story,” Ruby remarked with a shaky smile and an eye roll to exaggerate just how serious she was.

Blake’s head was tilted downward as she smiled sadly. “Well...” She shrugged slightly before throwing her arms out slightly as if saying ‘take me or leave me.’

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw a small smile blooming on Weiss’s face. Ruby knew her partner missed the quiet talks the two used to share and the afternoons where they bonded over cups of coffee and tea. While Weiss undoubtedly loved Ruby and Yang, they could be a bit rowdy; the heiress could only take so much before she resorted to shouting at them the way she would have at Beacon. Blake helped keep the balance of the team, and they weren’t the same without her.

“That’s all that matters,” Ruby said, relieved. She turned and gazed at Weiss fondly, feeling the familiar racing of her heart that was usually caused by the appearance of Weiss’s softer side. As silver and blue met, Ruby let out a quiet huff of laughter at the excited squeezes Weiss was giving her wrist before continuing “that we’re all here together,” Ruby turned to her older sister before finishing with a soft “right?”

Pressure was added to her right side as Weiss carefully leaned around her robe-clad partner to gaze at Yang. The duo had never seen the blonde look more confused and heartbroken. Ruby scanned Yang’s face to see uncertainty riddled across every one of her features, from the furrow of her brow to the quirk of her lips. She glanced to Blake to see her ears fall forward and hunch her shoulders in dejection as she gazed off to the side. Regret rolled off of her in waves as she stood there awaiting the judgement of her team. 

Finally coming to a decision, Yang started nodding slowly as she let a small smile envelop her face. “Yeah,” she said decisively. Black ears perked up at the sound as gold and lilac finally met and Blake smiled in gratitude towards her old partner.

Overcome with happiness, Weiss extended her right arm out towards Blake while keeping her left pressed against Ruby’s lower back for support as the two grinned invitingly. Blake smiled and rushed into the arms of Weiss and Yang before pushing her head forwards to meet the others until their foreheads were all touching.

With unshed tears shining in her eyes, Blake pulled back before grinning at Yang fondly and murmuring, “I missed you so much.”

“We missed you too!” Ruby chirped excitedly, before hissing in indignation as Weiss shoved her lightly before rising to her feet.

“Be quiet, dolt. Here. Take my hand, we need to get your injuries looked at.”

“My injuries?! Weiss, you were impaled with a giant glowing spear!”

“All the more reason for us to start heading back to the safehouse. Come on, maybe Ren will be in the mood to make us some cookies.”

At that Ruby was up and grasping Weiss’s hand eagerly before tugging her in the direction of the remaining members of team JNPR. Blake smiled fondly at the pair before turning and addressing her still-seated partner. “Should we join them? I feel like catching me up on everything you three have been up to will be quite the chore.”

Yang pondered the question before nodding and letting her gaze drift along the scuffed floor before zoning in on something behind the brunette. “Yeah, one sec. Do you think you can give me my hand?”

Blake’s expression dropped before becoming confused. She squinted at Yang as she rose from the floor and looked down at her before offering her hand to help raise her to her feet. “Did… did you just try to make a pun?”

Yang grabbed Blake’s forearm and hauled herself onto her feet before brushing past her. Blake turned to follow her partner with her eyes and watched as Yang stopped to pick up a gray and yellow… arm?

“No, I literally wanted you to give this to me,” Yang replied as she twisted the mechanism into place and experimentally flexed her fingers. “I wasn’t fully armed and ready to meet you again.”

“Oh, for dust sake Yang,” Blake laughed while shaking her head at the smug expression on her partner’s face. “May I see it?”

“What, this handy device right here?”

Blake groaned before walking over to Yang and placing her hand out, palm facing upward with an expectant look on her face. Yang’s good natured smile dropped off of her face and back into the cool mask of indifference as she looked from Blake’s waiting hand and her eyes. Blake saw the panic that crawled beneath Yang’s calm facade and retracted her hand with a soft smile. “You know what? Nevermind, it’s fine. Let’s catch up with the others.”

Yang cocked her head to regard Blake before letting a miniscule smile creep back onto her features. She nodded before turning and walking to where RNJR and Weiss stood conversing quietly, joined shortly after by Qrow carrying a passed out Oscar.

“C’mon kids,” he drawled, “let’s get back to home base for some rest before we discuss our next move.” He glanced at Blake and gave her a nod. “We’ll wait up while you talk to your folks and friends.”

Blake glanced back to where her parents were talking to Sun and Ilia before returning her golden gaze to Yang. She motioned towards them with a nervous smile. “Come meet my parents?”

“Sure, let me grab Rubes and the Ice Queen, too.” Yang commented, pointing back at the two with her thumb. Blake could tell the idea of meeting her parents alone freaked her out and nodded before directing her gaze towards the others.

“Hey!” Weiss cried out, feigning annoyance. Ruby patted Weiss’s shoulder in comfort before pulling her forward. “Hush Weiss. Let’s go meet the Belladonnas!” Blake noted with a wry smile that the two were still clasping hands, and she glanced at Weiss with raised brows. The heiress flushed before rolling her eyes, but still didn’t let go of the hold she had on Ruby.

Blake flickered her ears towards her parents to see if it was a bad time to interrupt. Hearing nothing of importance going on at the entrance, she turned and began leading her team towards the other faunus responsible for rescuing Haven.


	2. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise!!! i got this out a lot faster than i thought i would. thank you so much to everyone who commented and left kudos. this is for you guys. and specifically dusty, for telling me how to italicize things.

As Weiss trails behind her teammates, a thought enters her mind that forces her to stop mid-stride in a sudden panic. _I’m a Schnee. My father has made the faunus suffer under him for years. What if they think I was in some way involved and they hate me? What if they don’t let Blake stay with us because of what my family has done?!_

Before Weiss can fully spiral into hysterics, she feels warmth radiating from her right side as Ruby leans in to whisper “Calm down, Weiss. They won’t hate you.”

Not even questioning how Ruby knew where her train of thought was heading, or when she even noticed that Weiss was behind everyone, she turns to hiss “How can you know that?! My family has done so many unethical things to the faunus that-”

“Weiss-”

“-work for him! Forcing them into dust mines with little to no equipment, putting their lives in danger!-”

“Weiss, stop-”

“-I wouldn’t be surprised if they hated me! Even Blake hated me when we first met-”

“Weiss!”

The heiress’s eyes, which had closed during her small tirade in an effort to fight back tears, fly open in shock at the stern tone that leaves her leader’s mouth. Silver eyes are hard as their owner brings her hands up to her partner’s shoulders and gives her a small shake. Weiss is startled to realize she now has to look slightly upwards to find Ruby’s gaze. _When did Ruby get so tall?_

“Blake didn’t hate you, she hated the SDC and where they stood on faunus rights in the workplace. They might get treated badly, but that is at the hands of your father. You are not your family, Weiss.” A crooked grin is thrown at the flabbergasted look Weiss is sure covers her face. Ruby lets her voice soften in tone and volume as she reaches to cup Weiss’s face delicately in her hands. “If the Belladonnas treat you badly, then I’ll pretend to feel sick and we can leave, okay?”

Unknowingly, Weiss leans into the hold with closed eyes and a mumbled “okay.” She feels safe here in her leader’s gentle embrace, although her heart rate has quickened (which Weiss decides will be an internal investigation for a later time). She feels the callouses riddled throughout Ruby’s palms from years of scythe training as thumbs stroke comfortingly against the apples of Weiss’s cheeks, and she sighs in contentment.

Hearing a cough from a few feet in front of the pair, cerulean eyes fly open and are met with teasing smiles dancing across the mouths of Yang and Blake. Warmth rushes to Weiss’s cheeks so intensely that she’s sure Ruby can feel the sudden heat beneath her hands. The heiress clears her throat and slowly moves away from the touch, feeling careful fingertips brush against the line of her jaw before they fall back to their owner’s side.

“Are you lovebirds done yet?” Yang asks with a drawl, hands behind her head. “We’ve got to meet some VIPs; very important pussycats.”

Weiss hears a grunt fall from the blonde’s lips as she is bodily shoved by her younger sister. “Shut up, Yang.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

“Oh, the little one’s got spunk. I’m assuming this is the team leader you told us about, Blake?” A deep voice rumbles from high above Weiss’s head causing her to glance behind, and then above, her in shock. Her jaw slackens at the sheer height that this man possesses which, Weiss mentally admits with a huff, makes her feel even smaller than she already is.

A flurry of rose petals scatters to the floor as Ruby suddenly appears directly before the man who Weiss assumes to be Blake’s father. She cranes her neck skywards as she analyzes him, face weirdly void of emotion. Weiss is worried that Ruby has somehow malfunctioned before a high pitched squeak of excitement is heard.

“You are the tallest person I have ever seen in my entire life!”

Booming laughter leaves Blake’s father as the tiny brunette reaches out to shake his hand. “Woah! Yang, Weiss, his hands are _bigger than my head!_ ”

Blake walks forward to stand between her parents, smiling warmly at her leader’s foolish antics. “Guys, these are my parents Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Mom, dad, this is Ruby, Weiss and Yang.”

“Hi, I’m Ruby Rose!” The girl chirps, measuring her hands against Ghira’s before trotting over to Kira and bowing slightly and then shaking her hand too.

Figuring a show of respect is good in this situation, Weiss dips herself into a low curtsy with a soft and polite “Hello” foregoing mentioning her name for fear of upsetting the faunus in front of her.

Yang throws a casual “Hey, the name’s Yang Xiao Long” into the mix, also bowing slightly at the waist, making Weiss envious of how nonchalant she can afford to be in this situation.

Weiss watches as Sun and another girl around their age walk off to join JNR, Oscar, and Qrow. When she turns back towards the Belladonnas, Kali’s amber gaze has fallen on her, and it takes all of the girl’s willpower to refrain from shaking like a leaf. “Then you must be Miss Schnee, am I correct?”

At the sound of her surname leaving Kali’s lips, Weiss’s verbal filter breaks and she begins to babble and stutter. “M-Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna I am so s-sorry for everything that the SDC have put faunus through. I-If there’s any way for me to repay you for my f-family’s transgressions, please don’t hesitate to ask and I will do e-everything in my power to grant your request.”

All three Belladonnas look at the heiress with raised brows before the matriarch of the family approaches the girl hesitantly. “Oh, honey, no-”

“Actually,” her husband interrupts, “there is something you can do for us.”

Weiss snaps her head to face Ghira so fast she nearly gives herself whiplash. “Anything, sir!”

“Take care of our kitten for us.”

Blake’s indignant hiss at the nickname follows this, along with Weiss’s jaw dropping for the second time within an hour.

“S-sir?”

“Oh, and please drop the formalities, sweetheart,” Kali steps in, “Blake tells us you all are like family to her, and we would love to treat you as such.”

“B-but I’m a Schnee-”

“That matters little to us,” rumbles Ghira, suddenly less terrifying to Weiss than he seemed to be mere minutes ago. “Just because your father fell down the wrong path regarding faunus doesn’t mean he should drag his children down with him. Plus, someone very wise recently reminded me that there is strength in forgiveness.”

Weiss very nearly tears up at this, but she catches a glimpse of Ruby and Yang grinning at her with pride in their eyes, and she just manages to contain herself. Instead, she gives a firm nod towards Ghira and Kali and quietly thanks them for their understanding. The Belladonna parents then turn their gaze towards Yang, who begins to fidget under their scrutiny.

Weiss notices a wicked gleam enter Kali’s gaze as she looks Yang up and down before she makes a show of asking “Is this the Yang Xiao Long we’ve heard so much about?”

Blake’s face flushes scarlet immediately and her ears fold against her head as she lets out an embarrassed “Mom!” Yang looks every bit like the cat who’s caught the canary when she turns to tease her partner. “Aw, Blakey, you talked about me?”

“Yang, please stop talking.”

“Sheesh, what’s got you so _yang_ ry?”

“Oh, I like this one,” Ghira laughs, pulling his wife into his side as they watch the black and yellow duo bicker as if they had never been separated. Weiss watches in quiet awe at how quickly the two have fallen into their old rhythm before Ruby approaches her, with Qrow and the others trailing behind him. The exhausted man walks up and introduces himself to Ghira and Kali before the trio begin to converse quietly.

Ruby interrupts Weiss’s train of thought with a simple “Uncle Qrow is going to invite them to stay with us.”

“Stay with us where?” Weiss asks with furrowed brows. “Our last homebase position has been compromised, and I don’t think your uncle is drunk enough to have forgotten that fact. Even so, I doubt that place could hold all of us. We were cramped before as it is.”

Ignoring her partner’s not-so-subtle barb towards her uncle, Ruby shakes her head a few times as Ren, Nora, and Jaune join their conversation. Weiss takes note of Oscar talking to Sun and the girl who’s name she has yet to hear. “Uncle Qrow has a few other safe houses from contacts around the city. If Blake’s parents agree we’ll send Ren and Blake to scope the place out since they’re the least likely to get caught. He said we would stay in one of the bigger houses, but we might still have to double up on rooms and beds.”

Jaune nods, waving a hand at himself and his teammates “We decided if it came down to it, it’d be best for us bunk up with Sun and let you four get used to being together again.”

“Blake’s parents would probably get their own room,” Ren notes, “and we know Sun just as well as you four. Plus, I don’t think anyone else could handle him.”

“Qrow would probably murder Sun if he interrupted his beauty rest in any way,” Nora interjects with a weak laugh, knowing from first hand experience what happened when Qrow was woken up before he was ready.

“So it’s going to be like a huge sleepover!” Ruby cheers with a fistpump, making Weiss groan.

“Ruby, the Belladonnas haven’t even accepted your uncle’s invitation yet-”

Weiss’s statement is cut off when Qrow claps his hands together to gain everyone’s attention. “Good news, kids. The Belladonnas and two of their companions from Menagerie will be staying with us for a few days before we head to Atlas.”

As Sun’s whooping mingles with Nora’s excited screeches and Ruby’s squeals, Weiss brings her forefingers up to her temples and begins to massage away the oncoming headache. It was going to be a _long_ few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while i cant exactly promise consistent chapters due to being a college student, i can promise to pump out another chapter or two soon. i have some things planned for our roses and bees! dont forget to leave a kudos and a comment if you are feeling so kind. see you guys soon!


	3. Communication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello bitches, bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. i'm so sorry for not uploading this 2 weeks ago like i'd originally planned. college is rude like that. i'll try harder to, y'know, not go awol for so long. i have doubled my usual chapter length to try and make up for it.  
> quick shout outs to my tiny whiterose family for some inspiration! thanks to apple for the scent of lavender, cold for the tea, katie for the unwavering support, and ray for the laughs. enjoy my shitty masterpiece!

Ruby flops onto the bed behind her with an exhausted groan, all but sinking into the mattress as she kicks her combat boots off. She curls in on herself with a content sigh at the material beneath her, using her cloak as a makeshift blanket. She closes her eyes and listens to her team shuffling around the new room, dropping their bags and weapons on various furniture. The rooms in the new safe house were all decorated with two double twin sized beds, two night stands, a lamp, and a dresser. None of the sparse decorations matched each other, Ruby had noted before she zeroed in on the comfy bed currently under her. The night stands and dresser were made of two different types of wood, and the beds had mismatched frames and sheets. The lone lamp standing in the corner of the room looked as if it had seen better days.

She hears the springs of the bed across from her squeak in protest as Yang throws herself, probably backwards, onto it and landing with a huff. Two sets of raised heels clack along the cemented floors and Ruby listens as one set began to approach where she was laying as the other makes a few stops before leaving the room. Too tired to actually open her eyes, the girl relies on her other senses to guess which teammate was approaching the bed she was currently occupying. She feels the bed dip and a warm hand brush hair out of her face, accompanied by the scent of lavender and a hint of old parchment.

Ruby feels her lips quirk upwards in a tired smile as she hums in response to the touch, feeling herself on the brink of sleep. “Hey Ruby,” Blake starts quietly as she fingers Ruby’s long bangs, “Weiss asked if I could let you know that she was going to shower and then come to bed. She also said she refused to share the bed with a, and I quote, “smelly partner” so she’d come wake you for your turn when she finishes.”

Ruby huffs, trying to contain her slight giggle at Weiss’s foolish antics. As if she’d ever climb into bed with the other girl smelling of blood and sweat. “Okay, thank you, Blake.” She feels one last brush of fingertips against her forehead before the older girl approaches Yang and the two begin conversing softly. Ruby really wants to listen in and see if the two would work out their differences but decides that she should mind her own business and tune them out. Besides, she had a nap calling her name and she wasn’t about to ignore it.

~

Yang feels a hand nudge her knee and she cracks an eye open, peering upwards at Blake. The other girl flashes a small smile before whispering, “Care to join me for a cup of tea? Ruby is going to take a nap.”

Yang lets her head flop to the side as she watches Ruby’s slow inhales and exhales, signalling that she was either asleep or very close to falling asleep. Figuring she would have to be alone with Blake at some point, she nods and gingerly arises as to not make too much noise. Of course, Ruby slept like the dead, but the slower she moves the more time she has to think about what she wants to say to Blake. 

After zipping up her boots, Yang follows Blake out of the RWBY room and down a long hallway. She hears snippets of conversations from a few open doors as she passes, but is too focused on attempting to calm her increasing nerves the closer the duo got to the kitchen. Stepping into the dining area, the two are greeted with a view of a three square tables pushed together to form one long surface of mismatched wood. There were various chairs placed around the table and Blake pulls one out invitingly as she continues towards the kitchen.

Yang lets herself drop into it as her eyes follow Blake’s path. Her partner moves around the kitchen with ease, pulling open various cabinets until she has found a kettle and two well worn mugs. As she waits for the water to boil, Blake turns and leans against the countertop with her arms crossed over her chest. Yang notices that Blake keeps one feline ear turned towards the kettle, probably to listen to the water boil. She decides in that moment that she would try to lighten the mood and not let awkwardness creep into the air before Blake has the opportunity to get into the deep stuff.

“How’ve you been?” _Oof,_ Yang thinks with a wince. _Well, that wasn’t lightening the mood, but it could’ve been worse._

Yang watches Blake’s ears flicker slightly to show her surprise before returning to their relaxed state. “Tired. Scouring Menagerie for rogue White Fang members who want my family and I dead and then flying to Haven to stop said members from blowing up Haven is exhausting work. How have you three been?”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Yang blurts, sitting up straighter in her chair. “Backup, Belladonna. You can’t just skimp details with stuff like that. People wanted you and your folks dead? Haven was supposed to explode?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Adam got wind that I had returned to Menagerie and began corrupting members.” Blake suddenly turns to the kettle right before it began emitting a high pitched noise. “That’s who was outside of Haven tonight, setting bombs on the walls of various buildings.”

Yang feels her face slacken with shock and the familiar quaking in her left arm begins. She pulls it under the table and away from Blake’s view as she tries to calm down, averting her gaze. She begins counting backwards from ten slowly, and focuses on evening her slightly erratic breathing. Slowing her breathing to match the counting in her head, Yang brings her eyes up to meet Blake’s, hoping her weird behavior has gone unnoticed.

Ever perceptive, Yang sees that Blake’s amber eyes have narrowed and followed her arm under the table, head tilting slightly in confusion. “Yang, are you okay? Your breathing sounds kind of… off.”

Yang is nodding her head before Blake can finish speaking, attempting to keep her face calm in wake of her oncoming panic. “Yeah, I’m great,” she remarks quickly while pushing her chair back. “I just need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” 

“Yang, wait-”

“It’s all good! I’ll be back before the tea finishes.” She flashes a quick smile and is walking down the long hallway before Blake can utter another word of protest. Once she’s out of view, she lets her smile fall and skirts her eyes over the doors in the hallway, looking for the one that will lead her to one of the restrooms in the safehouse. She skips over one when the sound of running water makes itself noticeable, and the shaking in her arm intensifies slightly as her stress levels rise. Blonde locks thrash about as she looks between the different doors down the hallway with stiff motions. It’s a few more seconds before she sees it; the door leading outside. Yang makes her way over to the door and glances over her shoulder down the hallway. Once she notes that nobody is following her, she opens the door and steps over the threshold and into the backyard where she tries to center her thoughts.

She looks out across the lawn as she walks towards the center of a particularly grassy area, eyes skimming over the occasional plant as she exhales shakily. “He isn’t here and he can’t hurt you,” she whispers to herself, running her good hand over its mechanical counterpart. “You’re okay.” In an effort to distract herself, she starts analyzing the various flora and fauna that are scattered throughout the yard. 

The grass is a green so rich it seems almost fake, with scuff marks and winding dirt paths from countless feet leaving their marks on the earth. Two large trees are located on either side of the safe house, reminding Yang of Weiss’s Arma Gigas summon, protecting the souls that are harboured beneath their branches. Birds chirp high above Yang’s head, occasionally swooping down to pick at insects that are roaming around underfoot. Along the edges of the fenced in yard are shrubberies featuring small blooming yellow flowers. Vines creep up and over the wooden gate, giving the yard a wild feel to it. It reminds Yang of the woods behind her house in Patch.

She is only alone for a few more minutes before she hears the opening of the back door. Footsteps make their way across the lawn and stop a few feet behind her. Yang doesn’t need to turn to know that it is Blake that has followed her outside. Luckily, the time she was granted was enough to calm her nerves to the point where she has stopped shaking.

Yang turns with a fake smile already blooming on her lips but the sight of Blake’s expression causes it to fall off her face. Where Yang is expecting to see confusion she sees concern, and for some reason that makes guilt begin to eat away at her thoughts.

“Yang?”

“I’m fine. Weiss cream was hogging the restroom so I decided to come and take a leak out here. Hunters and huntresses do it on the job all the time!”

Yang watches as Blake’s ears flatten slightly and she squints a little. “There are three other bathrooms somewhere inside this place. What’s wrong?”

A heavy sigh leaves the blonde’s lips as she flops onto the grass beneath her. She beckons Blake over before laying on the grass with her hands behind her head. The skies are overcast with hints of orange shining through, the scent of ozone permeating the air and signalling a late night rainshower. 

“Let me tell you a little story, Blakey.”

~

Ruby is towel drying her hair when she returns to the room team RWBY is sharing. She is listening to the sound of her bare feet padding around the halls, trying not to fall asleep as she goes. A mess of brunette and red tinged hair emerges from under her towel as she scans the room. “Blake and Yang aren’t back yet?”

A lazy “no” is thrown her way from where Weiss is reclined against the bed’s headrest. Her ivory locks are still damp from her shower and piled atop her head in a messy bun, flyaways and loose strands framing her face. Against the white of the sheets, Ruby notices how pale and sickly her partner looks. Silver eyes dance across Weiss’s form and note that she has her right hand splayed across her injured side almost protectively as her left taps away at her scroll.

Ruby is suddenly assaulted with the mental image of Weiss laying on her back with red staining her normally pristine clothes, and she is at the other girl’s side and blurting the first thing that comes to mind before she fully realizes it.

“D-Does it hurt?”

“I’m sorry, what was that Ruby?”

“Your wound. Does it still hurt?”

“Of course not,” Weiss scoffs with a roll of her eyes, “Jaune used his semblance to heal me and now I feel right as rain. Why do you ask?”

“You’ve just been… holding your side since I got back in the room?” Ruby said, watching as surprise and slight panic flicker across the girl’s features before settling back into haughty indifference. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.”

Ruby watches as Weiss’s eyebrows furrow and she gnaws on her lip in thought. Before she can stop herself, she blurts “It’s just me, Weiss” and feels her face flush in response to her word vomit.

Weiss’s cheeks pink cutely in response and she lets out a huff as she turns away from Ruby’s searching gaze. “If you must know, my side has been kind of… sore. Not that I’m ungrateful to Jaune or anything, he did wonderfully. But rushing into battle immediately after being healed may have aggravated the wound.”

“Can I take a look? Only if you don’t mind.”

Weiss nods shyly and lifts the loose shirt that is acting as half of her pajamas, which causes the blush in Ruby’s face to rise once more. _Stop, Ruby. You’re doing this to be a good team leader and partner, you aren’t some hormonal boy._ Shaking her head once to clear her mind, Ruby crouches on the floor by the bed to get a closer look at Weiss’s wound.

The newly-formed scar on her side is an angry pink and raised in a way that scars from deep wounds usually are. It is jagged and ugly against the rest of Weiss’s pale skin, and Ruby is overcome with a sudden rage towards Cinder so intense she’s afraid her eyes may start to glow. She lifts her left hand and hovers over the scar, waiting for Weiss’s affirmative hum before she allows herself to graze it. Ruby can feel the heat radiating from the wounded area and she lays her fingers against it fully in order to guesstimate at its length. She feels her eyes furrow when she concludes that it is roughly four inches long and two inches wide.

“Oh, Weiss” she exhales, and watches in fascination as goosebumps rise against the skin of her partner’s stomach as she drags her fingers around the border of the injury, “I’m so sorry… If only I had been faster, I-”

“Stop that this instant, Ruby Rose.”

Immediately, the girl’s wandering touch ceases and she recoils as if she’s been struck. “Sorry, I-”

“N-no, not that,” Weiss’s face is flushed as she scans Ruby’s wide eyed gaze. “That was fine. Erm. The blaming yourself. What happened to me was in no way your fault; I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings.”

“But I’m still sorry.”

“If you apologize one more time I will run you through with Myrtenaster,” Weiss jokes, trying to lighten the somber mood. “I’m fine now.”

An anguished cry of “but you _weren’t!_ ” escapes Ruby so suddenly that she isn’t sure if she’s the one who spoke. When she checks Weiss’s face for a reaction, the slack-jawed shock with which she is being regarded is all the proof that she needs. Deciding it was too late to try and take back what she’d said, Ruby decides to add onto it.

“Weiss, you were speared. Not grazed, not cut, but _impaled_. Do you know what it was like to wake up and see you laying in a pool of your own blood? To see Jaune leaning over you while you weren’t moving?”

“Ruby, I-”

“I thought you were dead!” Ruby screams, her last word echoing ominously throughout the walls of the otherwise empty room. Her eyes begin to water and flood over at her own words, and Weiss starts to fret immediately. She is pulling down her shirt to cover her new scar and shuffling over on the bed all on one motion, beckoning for Ruby to join her.

The heiress opens her arms invitingly and Ruby collapses into them just as she begins to sob, clinging to Weiss as if she’ll never let go again. Nimble fingers wind through a mop of brunette tresses as she guides the crying girl to the crook of her neck, letting a few tears escape her eyes in response to the sheer anguish coming off of Ruby in waves. Weiss starts rubbing her other hand along Ruby’s back comfortingly, murmuring to her softly to try and calm the crying girl.

“Oh, you dolt,” Weiss whispers into Ruby’s hair fondly as she fights off full fledged sobs of her own. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. We’re partners, remember?”

After calming down somewhat with the help of Weiss’s gentle touch, Ruby is hit with a wave of exhaustion so intense she’s afraid she may fall asleep on top of Weiss and crush the older girl. Figuring it would be best to warn her, the girl lifts her head from its hiding place and croaks out a tentative “Weiss?”

She hums in response, still running her hand in soothing circles across her partner’s back. “Yes?”

“I’m getting really sleepy. Can we rest now?”

Weiss nods and goes to rise before Ruby’s grip tightens and she lets out a tired whine. She fights the urge to coo at how cute Ruby is when she’s tired. “I’m just going to turn off the lights, I’ll come back.” This is met with another pitiful noise, and Weiss’s resolve crumbles as she concedes and begins to maneuver both girls into a lying position. 

Ruby clings onto Weiss after her mumbled “is this okay?” is met with lithe arms tightening around her taller frame in a soothing hug. Weiss angles herself into a sitting position to remove her hair of its confines before settling into the warmth of her partner’s embrace. She is warm and solid, nearly reducing Weiss to purrs as she begins to leisurely stroke through her mane of alabaster hair. Ruby feels more than hears the breath of laughter leave Weiss as she nuzzles into her shoulder playfully before settling once more into a comfortable position. They are on their sides, Weiss hiding her face in the crook of Ruby’s neck with their arms wrapped around each other’s torsos. Ruby feels Weiss hesitantly slip her thigh between her own and fights away the shivers that threaten to overtake her. She feels a dainty ankle wrap around her own in order to drag her closer, stiffening when Weiss tilts her head to the side slightly. At this new angle that Ruby can hear her breathing and feel the puff of her partner’s exhales ruffling her hair.

“I was scared too, at Haven” Weiss whispers, “I’m sorry for worrying you. Seeing you collapse after the battle was not very fun either.”

“We’ll just have to get back into the flow of fighting together, it has been a few months. I’m sorry that you were scared for me.”

Before Ruby can open her mouth to continue, Weiss places a finger against her lip that silences her instantly. She feels the tips of her ears begin to burn as she stares into Weiss’s cerulean eyes, and watches as the corners crinkle with a sleepy smile. “That’s enough apologies for one night, don’t you think?”

Flushed and still being kept silent by Weiss’s finger, Ruby nods minutely before draping the blanket that was sat at the foot of the bed over their entangled limbs. They settle into each other with twin sighs of relief, falling into a drowsy silence relatively quickly. Just before she is fully asleep, Ruby feels a featherlight touch against her cheek partnered with a “good night” she more feels against her skin than hears. Too tired to question her own choices, Ruby ducks her head to place a sleepy kiss against Weiss’s forehead and whisper her own good night in return. She is asleep within seconds.


	4. Late Night Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yiiiiiiiiikes. It’s been a while, huh? I’m so sorry lmao. Life sucks like that. I can’t promise to be consistent but I can promise to finish what I’ve started! This chapter was super difficult to write, which is partly why it took so long. Shout out to Ray for helping me find the inspiration to finish this bitch. I did change the character tags on this, sorry if that was a disappointment to any of y’all. Anyways, on with the chapter, and happy Easter!

Blake watches as Yang lays back against the vibrant grass in an almost nonchalant manner. If it were anyone else, Blake would think that Yang was calm as could be. But even after months apart Blake can still recognize her partner’s nervous ticks as though they were her own. Lilac eyes are flickering back and forth rapidly behind closed lids, and Yang is ripping the grass from the ground under her hand with such ferocity you would have thought it had insulted her hair. It is all too obvious to Blake that Yang was anxious and not entirely looking forward to their talk.

Sighing from where she stands above Yang, Blake lowers herself into a sitting position and crosses her ankles in front of her body. At the silence that ensues, Blake takes her time to scan the yard that the pair have found themselves in. The colors and greenery seem tame compared to the abundance of plant life back on Menagerie. Inhaling deeply, Blake deduces that even the air feels different; crispy and cool against her throat where the air on the island was thick and muggy, always leaving a hint of salt in the back of your mouth.

After what seems like hours of silence, but is probably only minutes, Yang begins. “What I’m about to say may seem like a lot, but if I don’t get through it now it’ll be a lot more difficult to try again later.” Blake feels her ears twitch in surprise at the shakiness in Yang’s voice. The last time she had heard her partner this upset, she was begging for Blake to believe her about Mercury during the Vytal Festival.

“Please try not to ask too many questions until I’m done, okay?”

Blake slowly nods, showing her cooperation to stay silent through actions instead of words. She watches as Yang’s lips quirk upwards in a shaky smile and she closes her eyes.

“People have left me all of my life. My mom, Summer, my dad in a way, and even Ruby. I know some things can’t be helped, like with Summer’s death and my dad’s depression. And I’ve accepted that sometimes people make choices that will benefit themselves and hope that everything falls into place for others, like Raven abandoning me and Ruby leaving home to travel. But after all this time, I haven’t quite figured out why you would leave.”

Blake feels her air leave her in a rush at Yang’s words, confusion muddling her mind and slowing her thoughts. _When did Ruby leave Yang? Haven’t they been traveling together this whole time?_ She opens her mouth before snapping it shut with an audible clack of teeth. She told Yang she would be patient, and she is going to stay true to her word.

A quick smile of thanks is sent Blake’s way before Yang continues. “Sorry, I forget sometimes that you’re out of the loop on all of this stuff. Weiss was taken to Atlas by her father as soon as Beacon fell, while Ruby and I had to return home to Patch to recover. As you can guess,” Yang gestures outwards with her mechanic arm, soft whirring emanating from the prosthetic and reaching Blake’s sensitive ears, “I took a lot longer than Ruby did to get better.”

Blake nods once to show Yang that she is following along as her eyes dance across the black and yellow appendage, noting how naturally it moves with Yang’s body. _That must have taken months to get used to,_ Blake notes.

“I was very depressed for a long time. I found it hard to get up in the morning, knowing that I might never fight again. My dad and Zwei did their best to give me things to do, but I just wasn’t ready yet. The first time I got out of bed was because of Zwei, actually. My dad had left on a quick errand to town, telling me he would be back in an hour or two, and Ruby had already left on her journey with JNR. I guess he had fed Zwei right before he left, because Zwei kept whining and scratching at my room door to take him out to use the restroom.”

Yang shakes her head with a chuckle at the memory before continuing, exasperated. “He did that for 2 hours straight before I finally got tired of it. I remember seeing him standing there looking as smug as a corgi can before leading me outside. The worst part is I couldn’t open the door and just go back to my bed. We have to stay outside and watch him because he tries to pick fights with any animals in the area, even if they’re bigger than him.”

Blake smiles at the story, finding herself missing that slobbery ball of fluff. While she always played up her aggression and dislike, she really did have a soft spot towards him. She notices that telling the story has put Yang at ease enough for her to relax the death grip she had on the grass, and she feels the tension that formed between her own shoulder blades lessen.

She’d missed Yang dearly, from the way she tells her stories to the way her eyelashes flutter when she smiles. Menagerie without her team had been lonely. Sure, she had Sun and he was great, but the monkey faunus could never compare to the girls she considered family. They didn’t fight with the same fluidity that RWBY or even Blake and Yang did. Sometimes she tripped over his tail or had to duck an errant staff swing, and he occasionally got caught in her ribbons or mistaken her clones for the real her. But he was a great friend and he kept her company on the lonely nights travelling Remnant.

“When my dad got home,” Yang started, bringing Blake out of her train of thought, “he was so spooked to see me out of my room that he dropped the bags he had on his arms. That was the first time in years that I had seen him cry, even though they were happy tears. He was so proud of me... all because Zwei made me angry enough to get out of bed.”

A soft smile blooms on the blonde’s face as she recalls the memory, but it slowly drops as she turns to face Blake. “It took a few days for my dad to convince me to go see a specialist. He said ‘Ruby wouldn’t want you to just mope around forever.’ We had to take an airship off of Patch to find someone who would actually know what was wrong with me.” Blake feels her brows furrow in confusion, and Yang rushes to elaborate. “It wasn’t just being sad all the time. I would start to hyperventilate any time I saw something on TV about The Fall. Loud noises made my body shake uncontrollably and trigger flashbacks of everything that happened during the fighting. Once my dad accidentally cut himself while making dinner, and seeing the blood and smelling it on him made me burst into tears.”

Overwhelmed by the urge to console Yang but still wanting to heed her request for silence, Blake reaches out and lays a hand on the area of her partner nearest to her; the mechanical arm. It is surprisingly warm beneath her touch, and it thrums with an energy and aura so uniquely Yang that Blake forgets for a moment that it isn’t flesh and blood. She feels the metallic parts beneath her fingers jump at her touch as Yang fidgets. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, the faunus moves her hand higher to pat at her shoulder and smile softly.

Yang spends a few minutes staring at the sky before she continues with a forced laugh. “The doctors diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder. ‘A condition of persistent mental and emotional stress that would affect me for the rest of my life,’ they said.” She closes her eyes and purses her lips, letting out a harsh puff of air.

Uncertainty and panic crawl along her stomach like bugs as she takes in the sad girl before her. She’d heard of this before in hunters who’d been in big battles with Grimm or who had lost their partners to various accidents. The blonde quirks her lips at Blake in a faint smile, and she feels her grip on Yang’s shoulder tighten in an effort to console her friend. “Do you know what it’s like,” Yang continues as she makes steady eye contact with Blake for the first time all evening, “being told that you’re going to be constantly on the edge for the rest of your life? Because let me tell you, Blake, it sucks.”

~  
A lack of warmth and the faint scent of roses is the first thing Weiss’s sleepy mind registers when she is suddenly jarred from her nap by an unseen force. Furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance, she throws an arm out to her side and feels around on the bed. She grumbles when she feels a crinkle of parchment beneath her fingers. Cracking open one eyelid to peer at the new occupant in her bed, Weiss pushes herself up onto her elbow in order to glance below her. Where her partner should have been dozing peacefully instead lay a folded piece of paper addressed to herself in Ruby’s chicken scratch.

Opening the note, Weiss rolls her eyes fondly and fights off a blush as she scans its contents. Covering the top half of the page is a sketch of the heiress cuddling a pillow with a small smile on her face. In the absence from her teammate Weiss had nearly forgotten what a proficient artist Ruby was. Back at Beacon she had notebooks scattered all around the team’s room containing doodles of weapon designs, Grimm, and various sketches of her team members. Ruby was often caught daydreaming and doodling in some of their classes back at Beacon, but only the ones she found boring. Against popular belief, Ruby was actually quite gifted. She was in the top of their class, along with Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ren. Smiling at the gesture, the heiress lets her eyes fall to the main focus of the paper before pushing herself into a sitting position.

 _Dear Weiss Schnee,_ the note starts formally, drawing a chuckle out of Weiss at her leader’s silly antics.

_I got really hungry during our nap and decided to go to the kitchen to try and make something. I wanted to wake you and ask if you wanted food too, but you looked so cute and comfy that I decided to just let you rest some more. Whenever you wake up, join me in the kitchen for a late night dinner date?_

_Love, Ruby Rose_

A pleasant warmth shoots through Weiss at the words “cute,” “date,” and “love” but she physically shakes it off in favor of rising from the bed. An internal crisis regarding her partner is not what their team needs right now. Yang and Blake are sure to have issues of their own, and Weiss would hate to make things awkward with Ruby and endanger the harmony of Team RWBY. It’s not like Weiss is completely sure of her feelings, anyhow. She hasn’t seen the girl in so long that she may as well be a different person now. The last she saw her partner, she was an awkward, bumbling fifteen year old who could barely look Weiss in the eyes most day. Greeting her now was a girl nearly grown, a few inches taller and a few pounds thicker than the girl she left at Beacon. She may never be as endowed as Yang, but Ruby was _definitely_ catching up.

Weiss’s wayward thoughts elicited a heavy blush and shake of her head. Okay, so maybe she had more feelings for Ruby than she originally thought. Coughing into her hand to clear her throat, Weiss quickly makes the bed in an effort to buy herself some time to think. Finishing the small chores she assigned herself, Weiss decides that the next way to procrastinate would be to check her scroll. It wasn’t like she had anything important on there; when the girl fled Atlas she had been forced to get an entirely new device in an effort to make tracking her more difficult. Seeing her reflection in the glass, Weiss recoils in shock at the state of her hair. There was no way she could go meet Ruby in this state!

A quick trip to the restroom to make sure that she is presentable sends the girl on her way to find Ruby. She hadn’t gotten to properly explore the safe house, her need for sleep overpowering her natural curiosity the moment their group had crossed the threshold. After walking down a hallway or two and glancing at many closed doors, the scent of homemade chicken noodle soup washes over her. Salivating immediately, Weiss does an about-face to chase the delightful aroma through the house.

Stumbling into the kitchen on drowsy legs, Weiss is met with the sight of Ruby gently pouring out two bowls of soup before taking them to the makeshift dining table. Her clothes and hair are rumpled from sleep, making the brunette’s usually messy mop of hair look like an absolute Nevermore’s nest. The younger girl yawns widely accompanied by a stretch, standing on her tiptoes and throwing her arms out in front of her as she arches her back with a satisfied hum. At the sight of the yawn, Weiss lets loose one of her own which causes Ruby to turn and smile sleepily at the girl. If you ask Weiss, she’d say that Ruby’s eyes shine a little brighter at the sight of her, but then again it could have just been a trick of the light.

“G’morning, Weiss,” the leader drawls, pulling a chair out for the heiress and shooting her a charming smile. “Join me for dinner?”


	5. Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes hello it is i, posting way later than i assumed i would. welp. i tried. anywho, college is over now so i should be able to devote more time to writing, so expect an update on Shot Through The Heart hopefully within the next few weeks. it is still summer vacation so i cant promise to be super consistent, but i can promise to try. as always thank you for the support, and happy readings!  
> also, id just like to say. for some reason the italicization function on ao3 was being extremely difficult on this night. i'll try to get that fixed ASAP, so just know that more of this is supposed to be emphasized. hope that doesnt damper the reading at all.  
> eternal shout outs to ray and katie for the support. mainly ray bc theyre cooler but whatever :)  
> ***EDIT: ALRIGHT! I fixed the issue with emphasized words, so they should be bolded instead of italicized. also anyone who gets the reference I made during the dinner scene wins. uh. being a winner.

Fighting down the heat that threatened to overtake her face, Weiss grumbles out a sleepy “Ruby it’s, like, 12 AM” as she makes her way towards the offered chair. She settles into it and flushes brightly when Ruby pushes in the offered chair in for her, listening as the quiet scraping fills the calm of the makeshift kitchen and dining space. “Why would you say good morning and dinner in the same sentence?”

“AM equals morning, duh, Weiss.”

An unladylike scoff leaves Weiss’s throat in response, and Ruby grins as she puts two glasses of water down on the table. Weiss watches as her leader plops into the chair across from her, letting her settle in before asking another question. “And the dinner part?”

Ruby picks up her spoon and twirls it deftly between her fingers as she thinks, humming a little under her breath as her sleep-addled mind fights to defend itself. “Well, have you had dinner yet?”

“No, but-”

“AHA!” Ruby cries, victorious, pointing her spoon at Weiss in both a smug and threatening matter. “If you haven’t eaten dinner yet, and this is the last meal before we go to bed, er, again, then doesn’t that make it dinner?”

Scrunching her nose up, Weiss spoons some soup in her mouth in order to buy herself time to recall exactly what constitutes being dinner. Letting her eyes scan the ceiling as she thinks. She recalls the variety of times that dinner was to be eaten in Atlas, and whether there seemed to be a limit on when it stopped being dinner.

“Well, I guess since this is about as close to evening as we could eat given the circumstances…” she lowers her gaze to Ruby’s still smirking face, and Weiss huffs. “...I guess this is considered dinner, because it sure as hell isn’t breakfast.”

Nodding sagely, Ruby sips from her “dinner” in order to hide her triumphant smile. Weiss spots it and rolls her eyes with a little laugh. “Smug isn’t a good look on you, Ruby.”

The younger girl lowers the timbre of her voice to mimic Weiss’s, albeit poorly, and shoots back a teasing “Smug isn’t a good look on you, Ruby” while using her spoon to go over her eye to act as a makeshift scar. At the affronted look that Weiss is sure she pulls as a reaction, Ruby bursts into happy laughter and goes back to eating her dinner.

“Mockery is not the product of a strong mind,” Weiss admonishes her, trying to keep her cool and uppity facade in place. “It shows lack of mental flexibility and strength.” She takes a regal sip of water while turning up her nose at Ruby, keeping their little charade going.

Ruby’s grin then turns positively wolfish, startling Weiss out of her playful role. “I can show you just how strong and flexible I really am if you’d like, princess,” she coos across the table, short circuiting Weiss’s brain temporarily. “All you have to do is ask.”

“Ruby Rose!” She whispers, embarrassed, even though they’re the only two in the room. “You have really been spending too much time with Yang, haven’t you?”

The young leader throws her head back and laughs heartily, balancing on the back two legs of her chair from the sheer force of her laughter. Weiss huffs but watches the girl with a fond smile, feeling her heart clench a little bit at the sight before her. Even in the artificial light of the safehouse, Ruby still manages to glow; and even in the wake of uncertainty and minor chaos, Ruby still manages to take Weiss’s breath away. She never realized how much she’d truly **missed** her partner until they were reunited once more. Waking up without Ruby in the duo’s shared bed had startled Weiss more than she let on, and seeing Ruby alive and happy eased the lingering nerves that snaked throughout her body.

********

********

__Once Ruby rights her chair and begins eating again, Weiss’s own words catch up with her. “Wait, where is Yang? And Blake, for that matter?” The heiress makes to rise from her chair in search of the black and yellow pair but is motioned to sit again._ _

__“The last I checked, they were sitting outside talking,” Ruby replies as her easygoing smile falls off of her face. “I think Yang was catching her up on what she’s missed.” The girl rises in order to tuck Weiss’s chair underneath her and push her seat back into place._ _

__In an effort to ignore the cute display of chivalry, Weiss continues their conversation with a confused “ **Everything** she’s missed?”__

********

********

____A slow nod is her only answer, and Weiss watches in fascination as her goofy friend slips away and is replaced with Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY and hero of the Fall of Beacon. “If I know Yang as well as I hope I do, and I’m sure I do, they’re going to talk strategy and ways to try and become friends again. Or at least civil acquaintances. We can’t win against Salem or her lackeys if we can’t relearn how to work together.”_ _ _ _

____A burdened sigh leaves pursed lips and although the topic at hand is entirely serious, Weiss’s gaze is stuck on her partner’s mouth. “Just because we were team RWBY a year ago doesn’t mean we can be team RWBY forever. We don’t even know if Blake is staying with us or going home with her family.”_ _ _ _

____Sitting up straight in her chair at the words and furrowing her brows, Weiss glances around the empty room before making eye contact with Ruby. “You really think she’ll leave us again?”_ _ _ _

____Gunmetal eyes hop around the kitchen uneasily as Ruby ponders, making Weiss antsy with her lack of a quick response. She finishes up her dinner as she thinks, causing Weiss to hastily try and catch up. After a tense few minutes, Ruby smiles sadly at Weiss and shrugs. “We’ve all been through different things these past few months, Weiss. She’s been with her family and Sun in Menagerie, fighting off the White Fang and trying to improve the lives of Faunus everywhere.”_ _ _ _

____White brows shoot up in surprise at the information, which is news to Weiss. The monochrome duo hadn’t gotten any private speaking time after their reunion. They’d only swapped a few sentences here and there due to the work of trying to cram so many people into a safe house comfortably. She’d spoken more words to ORNJ than to her long-lost and now found teammate._ _ _ _

____“I got to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna on the way over here,” Ruby answers Weiss’s unspoken question with a lazy wave of her hand. “That isn’t the point here. The point is that Blake has things other than us going on right now. Her parents might need her to go back home or travel with them.”_ _ _ _

____“But… Ruby, that’s absurd! We can’t assume that she’ll just up and leave-”_ _ _ _

____“And we can’t assume that she’ll stay,” Ruby cuts in smoothly, still acting the role of analytical leader instead of friend and partner. “Some things are above us. We’re just kids, Weiss.”_ _ _ _

____Just as she opens her mouth to argue, she takes a look at Ruby and feels all of the fight drain out of her. The younger girl looks downright heartbroken at her own words, knowing that they have a possibility to come true. Weiss thinks she must shoot Ruby a sympathetic look because the brunette starts, averting her gaze to the table. Weiss is sure Ruby is internally scrambling to fix the cracks that have started to form in her stoic mask. Before her isn’t the proud leader of the famous Team RWBY **or** Weiss’s lovable dolt of a partner. Sitting across from her in the bio-luminescence of the kitchen lights is a young girl who’s lost people and has had to learn to cope with that on her own. Her eyes have morphed from the color of gunmetal to soft mercury, tears shining just on the edge ready to fall at a moment’s notice.____

********

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______“We can’t control who leaves us, Weiss,” Ruby whispers in the quiet stillness of the night, letting her eyes meet Weiss’s once for emphasis before her gaze falls to the floor. “All we can do is support those who do on the journeys they’ve chosen to take.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Rising from her chair, Weiss makes the short journey to Ruby’s side before extending a hand for her to take. When the younger girl doesn’t immediately move Weiss huffs and reaches for Ruby’s hand slowly, giving her companion time to withdraw from her touch. Once Weiss decides that Ruby won’t bolt, she delicately takes the other girl’s hand and tugs her into a standing position. Linking their fingers and leading Ruby into the living room, Weiss flicks off the lights in the room they were just in and forms a small glyph in her hand to light the pair’s way._ _ _ _ _ _

______Reaching the living room, Weiss lights a few candles that she finds in a coffee table drawer and sets them in various places around the long sofa that lays in the center of the room. Once she is satisfied with the layout, Weiss lightly pulls Ruby onto the sofa, sitting back and getting comfortable. She kicks off her shoes and straightens her clothes, moving a pillow onto the armrest and leaning back on it. Seeing Ruby’s confused glance, Weiss scoffs and holds out her arms, inviting the girl into her embrace. At the excited squeak that escapes Ruby, Weiss feels her cheeks flush with embarrassment._ _ _ _ _ _

______After the younger girl has properly squirmed and stabbed Weiss with her elbows, much to her chagrin, in an effort to get comfortable she is settled with her back to Weiss’s front with her arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace. A purely platonic loving embrace, Weiss can assure you. Both girls exhale happily at the same time which causes them to chuckle nervously at each other, both of them remembering their sleeping arrangements a few hours prior._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Comfortable?” Weiss squeaks out, clearing her throat immediately after. She feels Ruby’s shoulders shake with giggles at her expense, causing her to lightly knock her chin against the back of Ruby’s head in admonishment._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Ow, Weiss,” Ruby grumbles, eliciting a small snort from the girl behind her. “I **was** comfortable until you decided to try and concuss me.”______

********

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________Weiss laughs directly next to Ruby’s ear, causing goosebumps to rise on the younger girl’s skin. Feeling Ruby shiver beneath her grasp and mistaking it for a chill, Weiss tightens her hold and drops her head onto Ruby’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine, dolt. It was a love-tap at best.” Once her words catch up with her, Weiss clenches her jaw angrily. **A love tap, seriously? Who says that?**________

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__________“Yang’s idea of a love tap is a full force punch, so I’d much rather have your version,” Ruby remarks thoughtfully. “I think if she ever gave me a love tap without warning I would go flying.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Rolling her eyes at the comment, Weiss inhales to prepare herself for the talk she’s about to have with Ruby. With her inhale comes the scent of roses, the scent of **home**. It manages to both calm and spike her nerves. “Ruby,” Weiss whispers softly, waiting for Ruby’s answering hum before she continues. “You know I didn’t leave you because I wanted to, right?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Of course,” the reply is automatic, stiff with underlying hurt. “I know you love the team, even if you don’t say it often.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“No, Ruby, you aren’t hearing me.” Weiss replies, letting out a harsh breath of air. “I know Yang went through a lot after The Fall, but no one ever seems to want to talk about the fact that you were injured, too. Maybe not to the same physical extent as Yang, but you were still hurt.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Weiss,” Ruby starts in a confused tone, going to turn in her seat. Weiss tightens her arms, rushing out her next words before Ruby can fully turn around. “You saw one of our friends **die** , Ruby. This isn’t something we should try to ignore.” Weiss feels the body in her hold stiffen immediately. ____________

********

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______________“I’m really tired, Weiss,” the girl squirming in her grasp chokes out, sounding nervous. “Maybe we should go back to bed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Stop acting like a child, Ruby. You need to talk to someone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You aren’t my mom, Weiss,” the leader states coldly, catching Weiss by surprise. She continues to squirm out of Weiss’s grasp until she is free, scooting a foot away from the heiress in the process. “You don’t need to watch over me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sitting back calmly as to not startle Ruby, Weiss clasps her hands and then sets them in her lap to stop the shaking. Ruby had never addressed her so coldly before, not even when Weiss accidentally threw out an old bag of cookies the girl had been saving for a ‘special occasion.’ **”Cookies don’t ever go bad, Weiss,”** the girl had said with a stern glare. **”That’s why they’re so delicious.”**______________

********** **

********** **

__________________Wetting her lips momentarily, which Weiss duly notes that Ruby keeps an eye on, she begins her story with a heavy breath and a shaky voice. “Did you know that when my mother turned to alcohol and my father to the SDC, Winter and Klein were left to take care of me? Winter was still busy at the time learning how to best lead the company, so my upbringing was left to Klein. Even though he wasn’t family, he always treated me like I was one of his children.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Dark brows furrow slightly at Weiss and she hurries to continue her story before Ruby can cut her off. “I know you’ve gone through the loss of your mother and Yang had to step in as the maternal role in your house because of your father’s depression, but what I’m trying to say is that family isn’t always who you’re related to. I would and have risked my life for you, Yang, and Blake even though we don’t share blood because you’re **my family**. I promised you I’d be the best teammate you’d ever have, and that includes cheering you up when you’re down or being a shoulder to cry on.”__________________

********

********

____________________Sniffling reaches Weiss’s ears and she opens her arms for Ruby once more, letting out a small “oof” when the girl throws herself into her hold. Tears bounce onto Weiss’s top and leave wet patches on her chest, triggering Weiss’s hand to begin rubbing soothing circles onto her partner’s back. Ruby begins rambling immediately, going back and forth between hiccuping sobs and a wavering voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I wanted to save her, Weiss. I wanted to save her and then I couldn’t. When I joined team RNJR, I felt bad every single day that we traveled together. I was partly responsible for... Pyrrha’s death... and there’s nothing I could do about it. We just tried super hard to avoid the topic. Especially for Jaune’s sake.” A loud puff of air leaves Ruby’s lips and dances across Weiss’s collarbone, sparking against her skin and making her feel like she’d just been punched by Nora. “All people in my life do is leave me and I’m just so tired of it. You and Blake left us and then I left Yang, so it’s not like I’m any better. But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt me every day that we were separated. All I wanted to do when I grew up was slay Grimm and save people. I never realized how much loss came with wanting to do good.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Maneuvering her left hand to rub Ruby’s back as her right played with her hair, Weiss hummed comfortingly to allow herself some time to think. Sure, Ruby had seemed sad earlier when they’d discussed Weiss’s accident, but this was an entire new level of sadness that she’d never seen from the girl. “You and I both know you did all you could for Pyrrha. You weren’t the villain who put a spear through her, Cinder was. I think she has a thing for that,” Weiss jokes lightly. Ruby snorts softly against her shoulder, encouraging Weiss to continue.“I’m sure JNPR-, er, RNJR understands that. They know that you and Pyrrha were friends, that we’re **all** friends.” A moment of silence passes before Weiss whispers “And I’m sure Jaune understands that you did all that you could.”____________________

********

********

______________________A few seconds pass by and Ruby has yet to respond to Weiss’s words. Poking Ruby’s side and causing her to begin squirming, Weiss lets out an authoritative “Do you understand?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________An affirmative grumble reaches Weiss’s ears paired with a slow nod. Satisfied, Weiss soldiers on with the next part of her talk with Ruby. “Being a Huntress is hard work, yes, but what we’re up against is a tad more intense than the tradition Grimm extermination. None of us were prepared to lose this much or suffer so intensely at such a young age. We aren’t even out of school yet, for Christ’s sake!” Ruby huffs in agreement, mumbling a quiet “Stupid Salem.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Stupid Salem indeed, Rubes,” Weiss coos, ruffling her partner’s hair softly. “And I want to apologize for leaving you and Yang when you needed me, even if I didn’t have a choice. I could have tried harder to stay with you, but I was still in shock. My father swooped in like a Nevermore at the first sign of despair and flew me back home because in his twisted brain he thought I’d be safer locked away in Atlas where he could keep an eye on me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“S’okay, Weiss,” Ruby whispers as she gets comfortable against Weiss, letting her eyes fall shut. “He’s scary.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Weiss laughs softly and tightens her hold on Ruby, letting her chin drop to the top of her head. “No need to tell me twice. But I still wanted to apologize. I love you, and I love our team. I would never have left if it were up to me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Weiss’s words are met with soft snoring, and the heiress stifles her giggles at the sound. She rubs Ruby’s back soothingly, letting the girl get in a few minutes of rest before they have to return to their shared bed. At the thought of climbing into bed with Ruby again, Weiss feels a smile slip onto her face without permission._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Feeling her fond smile freeze in place, Weiss is struck with a sudden thought that causes her body to shut down. “ **Oh no. I think... I have genuine feelings for Ruby. **”****______________________


	6. Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shuffles into ao3  
> i said i was gonna post all summer and i lied. im sorry :(. shit was rough, yknow?  
> ANYWHO, this chap goes out to mads, who i'd die for. ilysm.  
> enjoy!

Yang lets her eyes roam lazily over Blake’s features as the duo catch up on what they have both missed in each other’s lives over the past months. It’s been hours, the shattered moon high in the sky at this point with empty mugs laying toppled over next to them on the grass, cold from tea that has long been consumed. Yawns had started slipping past Yang’s lips first, quickly followed by Blake’s own. Unwilling to leave the peaceful quiet of the backyard, Blake had quietly asked Yang if they could lay down and gaze at the stars for a while.

Hesitant but entirely willing Yang nodded slowly before maneuvering herself onto her back, with her hands behind her head for support. She listened to the grass rustling as Blake settled into a comfortable position, fidgeting for a few seconds before growing relaxed.

They were still there hours later laying in their original positions, albeit a few inches closer than when they had originally lowered themselves to the ground. Blake had unknowingly begun creeping even closer, drawn to the natural heat that Yang’s body was constantly giving off. Once, Yang glanced over and caught Blake’s eyes drifting over her prosthetic. There were bags that Yang hadn’t noticed before, dark and angry against the smooth complexion of Blake’s skin that caused her yellow eyes to stick out even more.

With her own eyes threatening to shut any second, Yang sprang to her feet and began stretching leisurely, humming as her bones began cracking at the movements. “I think it’s getting a little late even for you, kitten. Why don’t we call it a night and head to bed?”

Golden eyes blinked blearily up at Yang, dark locks bobbing along with Blake’s nod. Her ears drooped with her movements as if they, too, were agreeing with Yang. “Yeah, I think that would be best. Can you give me a hand? My legs fell asleep.”

Grinning and reaching over to detach her prosthetic, Yang’s joke was cut off by Blake’s deadpan “Yang” accompanied by a suffering sigh. “Do your jokes ever rest?”

“Nope! And neither will we if we don’t get inside soon. C’mon.”

Reaching down with her ‘good arm,’ Yang gripped Blake’s forearm firmly before lifting her onto her feet, grinning slightly when Blake soundlessly regained her balance. The black and yellow duo retrieved their nearly forgotten mugs and made their ways inside, making sure to silently close the door behind them. 

They crept through the hallways they’d passed through earlier, tip toeing carefully across the wooden planks that lined the halls. Glancing into the kitchen and dining area, Yang blinks in surprise when she sees that lights are still on, a few dishes littering the table. Walking over and gathering the small amount, she takes them to the sink and sets them down carefully, trying to avoid making any noise.

Turning over her shoulder to send Blake to investigate, she finds the brunette returning from the living room, ears twitching as a small smile plays on the corners of her mouth. Yang tilts her head, a silent question being asked that she’s sure Blake will answer. Sleepy eyes roll in their sockets as one feline ear flicks towards the living room then back towards Yang.

Huffing indignantly at the silent response, Yang begins washing the small amount of dishes before her, startling slightly when Blake takes them out of her hands to start drying. Between the two of them, the dishes are clean and silently returned to where they once were in under five minutes. Cracking her knuckles slightly and making her way towards the living room, Yang motions at Blake to follow her.

The moderately sized room is warm and cozy, with a few candles struggling to stay lit and casting small shadows across the room. Dropping her jaw to inhale deeply Yang detects faint hints of ginger permeating the air, causing her lungs to stutter on their intake of breath. Walking over to the nearest candle, intending to blow it out and save the entire house from going up in flames as they slept, Yang startles when she makes out lumps on the couch.

Creeping closer to investigate, Yang snorts harshly when she spots long pale locks and messy red tipped hair, their owners snuggled close and breathing deeply. Glancing up at Blake, who’s eyes seem to glow in the dark and cause Yang’s breath to hitch once more, she is met with a soft smile. Blake walks over to another couch, pulling the blanket off of its back to drag it over to Ruby and Weiss’s sleeping forms. Draping it over the duo and ensuring that it won’t fall off as they sleep, Blake waves Yang over and begins to retreat towards the hallway where their room is located. 

Quickly circling the room and blowing out all of the remaining candles, Yang hurries over to the hallway Blake had just walked through, not wanting to be left behind in an unfamiliar environment. Without the ability to see, Yang is sure she would probably stub a toe or two trying to make her way back to her assigned room. The duo creeps past closed doors, Yang wishing she could peek in to see who was bunking with who. 

Seeing Blake’s steps falter as they pass the room where Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Sun are sharing, Yang felt her heart fall into her stomach. Explaining to Blake that the reason Pyrrha wasn’t travelling with them was because she hadn’t survived The Fall was heart breaking. Blake and Yang had been too busy with the paramedics to find out about Pyrrha right away, but Blake fled the scene before anyone could find her and let her know about it. Shaking her head sadly and mumbling a soft prayer for her fallen friend, Yang let her thoughts stray to her other friends occupying in the bedroom.

Nora was most likely thrown over Ren, forcing her stoic partner to participate in some late night cuddles. Brain sparking at the thought, Yang began trying to hold back her quiet laughter as her mind wandered. She really hoped Jaune and Sun were squished onto the same bed because she knew for a fact that both blondes were partial to sleepy snuggling. Snickering at her thought process, Yang follows Blake into the room Team RWBY was given and shut the door silently behind her, trying to let everyone rest after a long day.

“We better head to bed now,” Yang whispers to Blake in the darkness, stumbling around the unfamiliar setting. “Ozpin will be pissed if we wake up exhausted in the morning.”

The scuffling on the opposite side of the room stops, and Yang can feel the golden gaze piercing her skin even through the inky darkness of the room. “Ozpin? I thought he died in the Battle of Beacon?”

Bunching up the covers to make room for herself on the bed, Yang shrugs as she climbs onto the mattress. She didn’t truly understand the situation herself, but she knew enough. “Nah, his soul was kind of reincarnated in Oscar, so now they both travel with us in the same body.”

A few seconds of silence go by and Yang starts to doze off, thinking the conversation was through. Right before she slipped into the comforting embrace of sleep, Yang heard Blake call for her attention once more. Cracking open an eye and humming to show she that she is listening, Yang hears Blake shuffle around in her claimed bed before a confused mumble makes its way to her ears.

“Who the heck is Oscar?”

-

The first thing that Ruby registers when she wakes up is warmth; all along her left side and down her thighs was the most comforting heat she had ever woken up to, besides her mother’s. The second thing that Ruby registers is giggles and sparse conversations, too quiet for her sleep addled mind to worry about translating. Furrowing her eyebrows and scrunching up her nose, Ruby tries to stretch her weary body and finds that the same warmth from before is restricting most of her movement. Forcing her eyes open, Ruby cranes her sore neck awkwardly to glance at the object constricting her limbs.

Telltale white locks take up a majority of her vision, and Ruby blows against the pieces that obscure parts of her face. Weiss is splayed across Ruby’s left side, with her legs trapping Ruby’s between her own and her arm thrown over the redhead's abdomen to firmly hold her in place. When Ruby attempts to move her arms, she finds that her left arm is completely numb and pinned beneath Weiss’s body. She must have rolled on to it while she was sleeping, because Ruby was pretty sure she fell asleep before her partner did.

“Little Red awakens!” A familiar voice laughs, and Ruby cranes her neck once more to find the source of the sound. Sun Wukong is perched on the arm of a sofa, tail curled loosely around Nora’s shoulders. The bright pair grin at Ruby, and she feels a rush of fear go down her spine at the teasing light in their eyes.

Opening her mouth to respond, Nora cuts Ruby off with a cheeky “So where did you sleep last night?” She lets her electric eyes rove across Ruby and Weiss’s bodies, intertwined intimately and half covered by a blanket, and Ruby has the sudden urge to pull the fabric up to her chin in order to hide their linked frames. Sensing weakness in her prey, Nora’s grin widens impossible larger as she continues her teasing. “Right here on this comfy couch?”

Feeling the pain of last night’s sleeping position making her muscles sore, Ruby grumbles sleepily. The couch beneath her was most definitely _NOT_ comfy. The only reason she’d even been able to sleep on the darn thing was because of how exhausted she was from crying, not that she was about to tell Nora and Sun that.

More conscious than she had been at the start of the conversation, Ruby lets her eyes roam over the living room to take stock of everyone who is gathered in her vicinity. Besides Sun and Nora occupying an armchair behind Ruby’s head, there was Ilia and Blake on a loveseat across the room, Yang and Ren chatting on the floor beneath them, and Jaune on the floor in front of Ruby.

The group saw that Ruby was awake and let out a cacophony of morning greetings, causing Ruby to wince and Weiss to begin stirring where she rested on the girl’s chest due to the sheer volume. Panicking slightly, Ruby began waving her free arm at her friends in an effort to get them to quiet down. Feeling Weiss’s sudden deep inhale, a sure sign that she was waking up, Ruby stiffened and slowly lifted her hands to hover away from where they had been previously resting on Weiss’s body when she’d awoken. 

Weiss stretched leisurely, nearly punching Ruby in the face when she raised her arm. At the sound of the grumble Ruby let out on instinct, Weiss opened bleary eyes and peered up at the redhead. She grinned at her softly, returning her hand to Ruby’s abdomen and tugging the girl closer by the fabric of her shirt. “Good morning.”

Just as Ruby opened her mouth to respond, excited chattering filled the spacious room. Everyone gathered started to catcall and tease the partners at their sleeping situation, causing their cheeks to flare up immediately. Sun, Nora, and Yang filled the room their annoying ‘whoop’ sounds, while the others made silly comments just loud enough for the snuggling pair to hear. Groaning, Weiss turned to hide her face in the crook of Ruby’s neck.

Yelping at the sudden feeling of Weiss’s cold nose nudging the skin at her disposal, Ruby stuttered out a quick, “H-hey, don’t leave me to fend for myself! Get out of there!”

Tired chuckles fan a breath out over the sensitive skin of Ruby’s neck, causing her to shiver slightly beneath Weiss’s hold. Feeling the thigh atop hers tighten as Weiss tugged herself closer, Ruby let her eyes roll backwards to pray to her mother for strength. “You deal with them. I’m still asleep.” Their friends, seeing the intimate motion, started their screaming again immediately. Jaune even took to singing a stupid song he’d heard his sisters singing as children, getting all of their group to join immediately.

“RUBY AND WEISS, SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

Choking on her laughter at the childish antics, Ruby nudged Weiss’s head with her cheek. “Some partner you are.” A small snort was her only reply, and Ruby closed her eyes with a serene smile.

Even though they were at war with forces of ancient evil powerful enough to shake the earth themselves, they were still a group of dumb teenagers.


	7. Departure

Weiss fiddled with her suitcase, looking around at the building before her and its gathered occupants. She felt an onslaught of nerves wrack her frame, causing her stomach contents to roll and slosh unhappily in their confines. Grumbling, Weiss deposited her luggage on the ground in front of her, watching idly as a cloud of dust rose from the drop of the heavy object. Turning and scanning the group of teenagers for Blake, finding the faunus a few feet away, Weiss exhales a little easier.

“Blake,” Weiss whispers, watching Blake’s ears stand upwards and swivel towards Weiss in acknowledgement, her eyes never straying from Nora and Jaune. “I don’t feel too good. I’m going to go sit inside, okay?”

Smiling softly when Blake nods minutely, subtly flicking her ears in acknowledgment, Weiss slipped back into the safe house. Glancing towards the kitchen area where the adults were huddled around a map of Atlas made Weiss increase her pace, unwilling to stop less she be seen and asked for advice on entering her home country again. Sneaking into the room where RWBY slept for about two weeks days, Weiss felt the stiffness in her shoulders ease up.

She’d grown accustomed to the mismatched furniture and small beds; waking up in Ruby’s arms each morning wasn’t a bad way to start her day. Things would change when they got to Atlas. Weiss knew she would stiffen up and retreat into herself, old habits refusing to die off. The icy country reminded Weiss of everything she wished she weren’t: cold, aloof, unbreachable. She wished for anything but the white tipped mountains and rich homes that Atlas was littered with. Weiss would even prefer the extreme weather in Vacuo or the muggy heat of Menagerie. Anything but Atlas.

Flopping onto the bed she and Ruby had shared, curling up into herself, Weiss felt angry tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She’d just barely escaped Atlas with her life, and now she had to return. Her father would no doubt have some of his men still looking for her, and her white hair would tip people off about her identity the moment they saw her.

Her only saving grace was her team and their friends. Laughing a little to herself at the reaction they’d have if someone tried to take Weiss away from them, she wiped her tears away. She could do this. She had to be strong for them, strong for _her_. Ruby’s cool facade could only last for so much longer. She’d crack soon, and when she did, Weiss would be there to meticulously puzzle the pieces back together.

Hearing a knock against the wooden door, Weiss sat up. Adjusting her dress and fully wiping her face clean, she raised her voice to the person waiting outside. “Come in.”

“I thought you might be in here,” Ruby said with a smile as she peeked her head into the room. “Can I join you?”

Nodding at the request, Weiss scooched over on the bed to make room for her partner. Rolling her eyes when Ruby hopped onto the mattress, jostling Weiss, she glanced at Ruby. “Why did you think I’d be in here?”

Leaning on her arm to turn and face Weiss, Ruby shoots the girl a small smile. “You tend to retreat in on yourself when you get scared, y’know? And there isn’t exactly any privacy on missions. This is the closest we’ve got!” She finished with a flourish, throwing her arms out to motion to the room around them. “It must suck going back home, huh?”

“Atlas isn’t my home,” Weiss shot back immediately, hugging herself. “My home is with you, er, you guys. The team. Our friends,” she stuttered, wincing at her slip up. _Way to go, Weiss._

Panicking internally as Ruby raises a sly brow at her, Weiss exhales a little rougher when the red head leans in. Blue eyes scan Ruby’s features, watching them soften from the playful look she was wearing earlier. “You’re my home too, y’know?” She whispers, making steady eye contact with Weiss while she says it. The ex heiress feels her heart rate skyrocket at the words before slowing, soaking in the warmth and validation she needs. “We won’t let anything happen to you. Team RWBY won’t leave your side for a second; I promise.”

“And what about you?” Weiss hears herself ask. She isn’t exactly in the best mindset right now; the girl she likes, who is drop dead gorgeous by the way, is right in her face and making unwavering eye contact. You’d be flustered, too, if you were in her position! 

“There’s not a force on this earth that could tear me away from you,” Ruby murmurs easily, soft and full of truth. “You’re my partner and my best friend. The best friend I’ve ever had, actually. Don’t tell Yang,” she winks, startling giggles out of Weiss. “Not even your nasty ol’ dad could make me leave your side.”

Ruby raises her hand, hovering it by Weiss’s face as she waits for permission. Nodding shakily, Weiss exhales loudly when Ruby cups her face gently, leaning into the calloused hands she knows as well as her own. Her thumb begins brushing against the apple of Weiss’s cheek gently, catching a little every time she runs over her scar. Closing her eyes serenely as she drinks in the moment, Weiss feels more than sees Ruby begin to lean in. Her aura grows closer to Weiss’s, making hers flare in response as it greedily seeks out the red touch. Feeling a press of lips against her cheek, where a tear had slipped out without Weiss noticing, Weiss nearly starts bawling.

That isn’t what she’d hoped Ruby would do. 

Closing her eyes tightly and pushing her fears away, Weiss turns to the side with puckered lips and presses. Feeling a soft expanse of skin beneath her, startled by the change in texture to her left, she freezes.

These were not Ruby’s lips. It was the corner of her mouth.

_She’d missed._

Blushing fiercely and avoiding eye contact, Weiss pulled back out of Ruby’s reach. “I’m sorry,” she choked out. “It was an accident, I shouldn’t have done that, I-“

With a laugh, Ruby leaned forward to silence Weiss. Pressing their lips together softly, both girls sighed into the easy touch and let their eyes drift shut. It was gentle, new, and full of fondness. Their aura crackled in the air around them, occasionally coming together to form visible sparks. Maybe this is what people were talking about when they said they ‘saw fireworks.’

Reaching up to throw an arm around Ruby’s neck to pull her closer, Weiss exhaled heavily from her nose. Feeling warm hands return to their place at her cheeks and a nose nudging hers lightly as positions were adjusted, Weiss began to smile. Unfortunately, since she hadn’t been properly prepared, Weiss’s lungs began to weaken and run out of air very soon into the kiss.

Leaning back to catch her breath, smile widening as Ruby tried chasing her, she laughed shakily. Silver eyes opened and blinked dazedly, a dopey grin blooming onto kiss swollen lips. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself,” Weiss responded with a giggle, brushing Ruby’s bangs out of her face from where they’d fallen. “You okay over there?”

“I just kissed the prettiest girl in all of Remnant, I’m not okay. I’m _amazing_ ,” Ruby breathed out, looking at Weiss in awe. “Did I make that up?”

Feeling a surge of confidence, the ex heiress smirked. “I don’t know…” She drawled before suddenly leaning forward again. Soaking in the surprised hum that left Ruby’s throat at the sneak attack, Weiss felt her heart flutter happily. Tangling her hand in the mop of black hair, Weiss cut the kiss short for the sake of seeing the goofy expression from before make itself known on Ruby’s features. Laughing loudly when Ruby let out a whine in protest, she pecked her partner once more before moving back completely. “Did that seem made up to you?”

“I dunno,” Ruby started, mimicking Weiss’s tone from before. “I think I need another example.” The words, paired with her partner’s wolfish grin, caused whatever unease she’d been feeling to dissipate. They would be fine. Atlas would be fine. As long as Weiss had Ruby by her side, she would be fine.

\---

Closing the door behind them, adjusting Ruby’s messy hair with one hand and linking their fingers with the other as they left the room, Weiss turned and was suddenly face to face with Nora. Stepping back in surprise, tightening her grip on Ruby’s hand, Weiss cleared her throat. “Yes, Nora?”

“We’re getting ready to leave!” The red head chirps, hopping in place due to her pent up energy. She’d been a hassle the whole time the group was resting, constantly bouncing off the walls and trying to engage in wrestling matches with Yang. She was usually successful in that endeavor. “We’re gonna say goodbye to the Belladonnas and be on our way.”

“Wait,” Ruby says, moving forward from where she’d been humming softly under her breath behind Weiss. “All of the Belladonnas? What about Blake? I thought she was coming with us?” 

Throwing her hands up with a shrug, Nora motioned to the kitchen. “Qrow just told me to grab everyone to say goodbye. I have no idea what’s going on.” Glancing down at the pair’s still clasped hands, Nora’s mouth shifted into a mischievous smirk. “Oh ho ho! What do we have here? Did you two sneak away to make out?”

Weiss rolled her eyes as her cheeks began to pink, opening her mouth to refute the accusation before Ruby smacked her hand over her mouth. Turning to the girl with an affronted noise, Ruby smiled sheepishly. Keeping her hand over Weiss’s mouth and turning her gaze to Nora, Ruby shook her head. “No, we were making sure we didn’t leave anything behind in the room. We packed up pretty quickly this morning.” Making eye contact with Weiss, begging the girl beneath her grip to stay silent, she turned back to Nora. “We’ll be with you in a second! I need to talk to Weiss real quick.”

Glaring at Nora’s smug face as the red head backed away, Weiss directed her gaze at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. Realizing what she wanted, Ruby yelped and took her hand back. “Right, sorry, I forgot. Your skin is just so soft.” Shaking her head as if to clear her mind, Ruby continued. “Oh yeah. I stopped you because we need to find Blake or Yang, whichever comes first. If you started squabbling with Nora now, you’d never stop.”

“I beg your pardon?” Weiss chokes out, watching Ruby idly wipe her hand on her tights. The nerve of this girl. “I do not _squabble_ with anyone!”

“We’re squabbling right now,” Ruby points out, tugging Weiss along through the house by her wrist. “Even though we _should_ be looking for our teammates.”

Huffing unhappily, mumbling “ _we are not squabbling,_ ” under her breath, Weiss lets Ruby lead her through the hallways of the safe house. Passing by the table where Qrow and the rest of the adults were seated, now empty and devoid of life, Weiss shivers a bit. The team just got back together again, she wasn’t entirely sure if they would be able to handle being separated. Weiss had missed all of her girls terribly, and being only 3/4ths completed would never ring true in the same way that being a full team of four would.

Blinking at the sudden harshness of the sunlight, Weiss gave her eyes a second to focus before they started skipping around the lawn. Spying Blake off to the side with Sun and Ilia, Ruby sped up and tugged Weiss along a little more insistently. Knowing that Ruby was probably feeling just as worried as Weiss was, she chose to stay silent about the leading her around thing and instead support her partner. Or, her girlfriend? That was a _whole_ other conversation that Weiss was not currently prepared for.

“Blake,” Ruby whispered harshly, catching the other girl’s attention immediately. “Are you leaving?”

Dark ears flattened against Blake’s head immediately at the tone that Ruby let slip, tilting her head slightly in confusion. Weiss slipped her hand into Ruby’s, squeezing comfortingly to try and get the other girl to calm down. “I-“

“We’re sorry for asking so suddenly, but Nora mentioned wishing the Belladonnas farewell,” Weiss explained with a softer tone, squeezing once more against the hand in hers. She didn’t have the time to think about the calloused palm and slightly larger hand between her fingers, or the comforting warmth that radiated from her skin. Shaking her head a little, Weiss soldiered on. “We wanted to know if you were included in that.”

Blake’s brows furrowed, the taller girl stepping slightly away from where she’d been standing with Sun and Ilia. The pair glanced over at Weiss and Ruby, waving good naturedly before moving a few feet in another area to give the trio some semblance of privacy. “No, I’m staying with the team. My parents, Sun, and Ilia are leaving, though, which is probably what Nora meant.” Weiss watched as Blake’s eyes drifted downwards, ears drooping slightly as she began to fidget in place. “Did you really think I’d go back on my word so soon? I said I wasn’t going anywhere, and I meant it.”

“I’m sorry, I just,” Ruby started, rubbing the back of her head as she sighed. “I really missed having everyone together, and I don’t think the team could survive losing you again after we just got you back. I think that would finally break Yang for reals.” Weiss watched as Ruby pulled Blake into a hug, one hand outstretched behind her to keep Weiss’s hand firmly in her grasp. Weiss’s lips twitched into a smile as she stepped forward, joining in on the hug once Ruby tugged their entwined fingers a little. “You’re important to us and we love you, y’know? Things haven’t been the same we all split up.”

Blake rested her head against Weiss’s shoulder, sighing heavily. She sounded as exhausted as Weiss felt. She had never gotten to speak to Blake about the whole issue of her fleeing Beacon; she’d decided to trust Ruby’s instincts and wait to see what would happen instead. “I missed you too, both of you, so much. I hated being away from you guys, but it’s what had to happen. I’m back now, and I’m here for good.” Turning slightly to press her forehead against Weiss’s neck, Blake laughed softly. “Someone’s got to make sure that Weiss doesn’t freeze the moment we get to Atlas.”

“I’ll have you know I was born and raised there,” Weiss cut in haughtily, sniffing disdainfully at the smirk Blake sported and leaning away from her touch, pressing her head against Ruby’s. Guess it was National Tease Weiss Day. “I’m more immune to the cold than the rest of you will ever be.” 

Feeling warm air ghost past her ear, paired with Ruby’s chuckle at the expense of Weiss’s pride, Ruby joined in on the fun. “Is that why you’ve been pressing your feet against my calves for the past two weeks, because you’re immune to the cold?”

Gasping at the betrayal, Weiss snapped her head up from where it’d been resting against Ruby’s and glared up at the girl. “As a matter of fact, yes! I did it in order to inflict cold upon you, not ease whatever chilliness I was _not_ feeling.”

Squinting unhappily when Blake and Ruby began laughing at her, their small bonding moment was interrupted when someone clears their throat behind them. “Aw, c’mon, you guys know I love group hugs! Why didn’t anyone call me?”

Turning and spotting Yang, grinning up at the blonde who would hopefully take her side in this petty war of wits, Weiss offered her arm out as an invitation to join the hug. Sputtering a little when Yang began worming her way in, strands of hair flying everywhere and tickling Weiss’s nose, Weiss took to burrowing into the taller girl’s shoulder to hide from the wild mane of hair. Inhaling, the ex-heiress hummed softly under her breath. Yang had slowly been improving over the past two weeks, getting more comfortable and casual in a group setting again. She’d occasionally drag Weiss away to confide in her, and they’d talk things out until the blonde felt better. They’d grown to find an easy comfort in the other, and had even slept in the same bed on a few nights where they’d been out so long that Ruby and Blake didn’t have the energy to stay awake and wait for them.

Taking in the calm aura of the group, Weiss began to completely relax. They’d be fine. All of them. As long as they had each other and their friends, they could tackle anything Atlas threw at them head on.

“Gather ‘round, kiddos,” Qrow drawled, walking into the middle of the yard with Oscar and the Belladonnas by his side. He ran a hand through his messy hair, eyes dark from lack of proper sleep. “We’re saddling up. It’s time to head to our next stop.”

“Where are we going, exactly?” Ren piped up, walking over from where he and Nora had been lounging beneath a tree. The red head had been braiding flowers into his hair, and the boy now looked like he’d been asleep in the woods for years. “I don’t think anyone’s made that information clear just yet.”

Exchanging a quick glance with Oscar, motioning slightly with his head that the boy could make the announcement, Qrow shrugged. Oscar’s eyes flashed briefly, signaling that Ozpin had taken control. He blinked a few times to get used to the light, taking this time to let his eyes dance over the assembled party. Smiling softly at the group, leaning against his cane, Ozpin uttered only one word. 

“Argus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha so... i'd really meant to update this before the first episode of volume 6 dropped. but obviously, you can see i failed in that endeavor. we're nearing the close of this story! ideally, there's a chapter or two left of this. thanks for the support, it means the world to me!  
> if anyone likes my writing enough to wanna donate to my kofi, it's https:// ko-fi.com/C0C1IL2C  
> and if you wanna join my BNHA discord server, the invite code is fJJArwp !  
> thanks for reading y'all! catch ya next time.


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